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Q&A with animal photographer Sharon Montrose

Sharon Montrose has what most people consider a dream job: She photographs adorable animals—from lions to flamingos to knobbly-kneed giraffes—and sells prints online at her store, The Animal Print Shop. But what's her job really like? Does she ever get scared? What's the trickiest animal to photograph?

Here, Sharon answers my 12 most pressing questions (her answers are surprising!)...What's your goal during each shoot?
Capturing the animal’s charms—it can be something in their eyes, their smirk, or the way they move. The animals generally fall into two categories: Some are cute, and some are striking, like the American buffalo. I would never cute him up. I wanted to capture how majestic he was, so that when people looked at the image, they’d say, what an amazing creature! With the grown-up animals, it’s less of I-want-to-bury-my-head-in-their-belly and more what-a-fascinating-creature.

Do you get scared when you photograph animals like lions and bears?
No, it doesn’t even occur to me to be scared—which is funny because I’d never consider myself a fearless person.

Why don’t you get scared?
I have confidence in the handlers I work with, and it’s very rare that I work with a dangerous animal. I guess something could happen to me, but I could also get hit by a bus crossing the street. And when I'm shooting, it's like an alternate reality. My only focus is getting my shot, which totally distracts me from anything around me. If the studio were on fire, people would be trying to escape, and I'd still be standing there trying to get my shot!

Have you been charged or growled at?
I had a yak charge me once. The handlers told me ahead of time that if he charged, I should stay still so he would run around me. But, in the moment, my fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. I just started running. Luckily the yak ran the other way.Any sweet moments you’ll always remember?
I bottle fed a baby tiger in my arms. A bear cub sucked on my ear. It was awesome. When you do something so much, you can become desensitized, but holding the animals reminds me to be present. Instead of focusing on the hard work, when I hold an animal, I remember how lucky I am that I get to earn a living doing what I love.Are certain animals easier to photograph than others?
Stoic animals, like the buffalo or cow, don’t do much. They just stand there. They make it easy for me. I’m just looking for an eye or their head to tilt in a certain way. For the animals that move around—chicks, bunnies, the bobcat—I have to focus and be ready for the split second when they’re in the right position. Cats and kittens are really hard because they bob their heads a lot. Dogs are really amenable: sit, stay, roll over.

The baby animals are so sweet. My son loves the deer print in his nursery.
Parents tell me that their kids name them, blow them kisses, say good night and good morning. How cute is it that it’s interactive? People have told me that their kids now want to be vets because of them. I’m not like a doctor who is busy saving lives, but if I bring a little happiness to some little person’s life, that’s so cool.People must glamorize your job: you take photos of cute animals. What are some tricky parts that people wouldn’t expect?
I think people imagine that’s it’s a party atmosphere, like monkeys are swinging from the chandeliers. But the set is actually very professional. It’s a lot of work coupled with the stress and self-doubt that comes with any creative pursuit. Some people think a high production level of animal photography could be done easily, but I’ve been at it for 15 years. It has been a journey and process.

Where did you begin?
Where I am now is a result of many things that I tried and failed at. First, I shot weddings and headshots, but I realized I connected more deeply with animals. Then, back in 1998, I tried to be a private pet photographer, but back then, people didn’t spend money on their dogs. It was humiliating: I took promo cards to vet offices and dog parks, but nobody called. Not one person called. Then I thought, maybe I’ll try to get a dog book published. So I read a book about how to get published, and I wrote letters to literary agents, and sure enough sold my book to Viking Press. That’s really where it all started to work out. After that, I started getting commercial work from companies like Iams and Pedigree. While building that side of the business, I wanted to do a side project, so I started an etsy store with prints from the animal series I had been working on. A couple people blogged about me, and it went wildfire. Once I realized it could be a viable business, I photographed more animals and opened my own shop. I’m still figuring it out as I go. Now I have a whole team, which is really crazy. This whole business is the happiest accident that happened to me.

Wow.
My to-do list is giant. Sometimes I’m in the fetal position at night. Kidding!

Do you enjoy the business side of things?
I’m naturally business minded. When I was six years old, I would play office. No joke. I had a cubicle at my dad’s office and I even clocked in. What are a few things people don’t know about you?
* People assume I must be really sweet and saccharine, but I’m an honest person with a lot of edge. I swear a lot. I’ve tried to rein it in but I can’t.
* I love reality TV, like "The Bachelor" and "Say Yes to the Dress." I like to put on my “comfies”—sweats and L.L. Bean sock-slippers and watch TV.
* My nickname is Nellie among my close group of friends. When they call me Sharon, it sounds weird.
* I’m always freezing. I move around the house with a space heater next to me because my husband won’t let me crank the heat to 80 and I guess I don’t blame him!
* I’m obsessed with pine trees. Being around them, preferably in Yosemite, is my medicine. I even have pine trees tattooed on my arm.
* I secretly feel like I’m 16. Sometimes I look at my career and responsibilities, and I’m like, what am I doing, I’m 16 years old!
* On the Internet, there can be a perception that we’re all perfectly happy and never suffer, but that’s not me. I’ve got my issues. Sometimes I feel totally secure, but other times I’m totally insecure; sometimes I feel great, and sometimes frankly, I’m a total mess. I just try to take things easy–live in the moment, breathe and stay rational. I don’t ever want to take myself too seriously.Thank you so much, Sharon! Find all her fantastic photographs at the Animal Print Shop, if you'd like... xoxo

This is SUCH a great post. And now I don't feel so bad about being full of curse words and too edgy. I love that this all stemmed from an accident too. Trying to figure out what my fashion blog will "accidentally" create for me business wise.

this was such a cool piece! i am finishing up a graduate program soon and researching different career paths, so i love these articles (even though pet photography is a far cry from what i will end up doing!). it's fascinating to hear about the behind-the-scenes of any job and about the personalities of the people who pursue them. i also loved your interview with the costume designer for 'girls.' these are interesting and just so different from the other journalism i read and other blogs i check out. i love it!

I love Nellie's work! That's what I'm calling her now that we are close friends ;) My son Leo has the adorable baby porcupine in his room. What a great glimpse behind-the-scenes. More posts like this, please!

I've been a huge fan of Sharon's work for many years now. I've been given three of her prints as gifts and have also given some as gifts. I love the simplicity of it and the way she captures the beauty of each and every animal no matter what it is. I love this sort of behind-the-scenes look at her work. Thank you for sharing it with us!

I'm obsessed with Sharon Montrose's photographs, there is something so magical about the way she captures the animals on film. I love this interview it really gives you a sense of Sharon's personality and how she approaches her photography. So interesting love this series! xo Quinn

I like that she mentioned she's not super sweet and has an edge--I ordered one of her prints years ago and had some little question or request and got a sort of snarky answer back. I was a little hurt, but I guess it fits.

Fun interview. For a while I wanted to be a photographer full-time, so I really appreciated her answers to the questions about how she began and what a day in the life is like behind the scenes. It really is a tough business (especially in the beginning when you're trying to get your work out there), and Sharon's answers go to show how far you can get with some creative/unconventional thinking and elbow grease!

a brilliant idea to interview her Jo! i loved reading it as i've often had those questions myself (charged at...) and now i even love her more knowing she's frankly, a total mess sometimes, just like me! :)

sharon (nellie) sounds SO awesome. i LOVE "Where I am now is a result of many things that I tried and failed at" and about how she stuck with it and became a successful business/brand that people love -- congrats! i also love her honesty and want to be friends with her :)

I love everything about this. Such a fun and honest interview. I love that she readily admits to her failures - its taken her 15 years to get to where she is. Also, easy to forget that people who blog or present themselves, very often leave out the bad stuff... awesome that she is so candid about it. Sounds like you two would be good friends. Cut from the same cloth.

Did a small feature on you, today! You're my "girl crush" of the week!Check it out. Sashapearl.blogspot.com

i registered for 6 prints for my twins. they're all of 2 animals in each shot, but from different series. it was fun to put together my own personalized theme from her varied collections! but secretly i want all of them.....

Joanna, this is so great! I really love the baby alpaca (?) she is snuggling with, but I don't see a print featuring that animal on her website. Do you know if this is new work and I should just stay tuned?

Thank you so much for this post! I have been a Sharon Montrose fan for several years, in fact, it was inspiration from seeing her work that started me on my path to open a pet photography business. Sharon discussing all the attempts and failures was comforting beyond belief. It's a tough hustle to be a thriving pet photographer and I have doubts every day. Reading this Q&A gave me relief from a few of those doubts today. :)

I've told my husband many times that a session for our pup with Sharon is on my absolute wish list of dream gifts. It's just amazing what she captures and I would love to see what came thru with my girl. But thank you for the look behind the camera. She's right, from the outside, all looks rosy, but she's human. And I absolutely believe that I'm 16 (instead of 34 - yikes!) years old. Sometimes I can't believe I live with a boy!!! :)

This is such a great interview. I love her work and I really like her camera! I am always appreciative to hear from successful photographers that even they have their glitches and issues and everyone started from somewhere.

Awesome post, thank you. And thank you Sharon - I have 5 prints in my home (4 in front entry and one in kitchen) and love love love them. And you know what? I am totally not an animal person! There is something so lovely about Sharon's art, though - almost magical. And her answers were so wonderful - what a great conversation with a REAL person. How very refreshing!

Such a great post! I loved seeing and reading about the behind-the-scenes. The baby animals are SO cute, it's hard to stop looking at them, but I also thought that the pictures of Sharon with her camera were great, too. What an all around fun post about an honestly inspiring artist!

Loved this post. And not just for the adorable photos of those baby animals (though, not gonna lie, it helped). I found it really truly inspiring, to read about someone who's not just found her own path, but made it herself. Finding what you want to do and then nudging around until you've created a space for yourself, a need or what you want to provide, that's really inspiring. Thanks for a great post!

I've been watching these adorable photographs spread like wildfire around the web over the past few years, and it's great to meet the woman behind all the cuteness! What an authentic interview, a breath of fresh air and a testament to sticking to your knitting!

What a great genuinely honest interview! She sounds like an amazing woman who loves what she does. The section that talks about how she got started really gave me hope as I am working on starting my own photography business while being a full-time nurse. So many people settle in their lives and their career - we don't realize how important it is to do what we love. Success will find those that pursue their passion because of the drive and persistance that comes with being happy.

I'd like to see that she donates some proceeds of her sales to animal conservation organizations seeing as how some of the species she photographs will likely be extinct within the lifetime of the child whose nursery these are purchased for. I see no philanthropic connection. Also, while they are adorable portaits, I can't help thinking of the terror these animals experience being taken from the environment they live in, making the trip to a big city and being hauled into a studio with lights and noise and people.

meresy_g, Sharon does support animal rescue groups through her work. From her website: "The animals photographed for this series are real live animals, raised (and most rescued) by loving, experienced, and dedicated animal keepers and handlers who care for them as their own and ensured their welfare while being photographed (in studio or outside at the facilities where they live, then photoshoppped into the backdrop). Through this series, we help support several organizations devoted to animal rescue, educational programs, and nurturing wildlife."

I LOVE this interview.....thank you Joanna & Sharon!! My absolute dream job ever since I was old enough to know what a camera was, is to be a professional photographer, and I would photograph animals in the wild or in a studio, like Sharon. To know how she first started, and that she's been working to get where she is for 15 years is a HUGE inspiration and motivation for me!!! These types of "behind the scenes" interviews fascinate me and it's always so great to learn how much hard work people put in to their careers and the outcome! Thank you!

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